Thursday, August 7, 2014

MAGNOLIA by Kristi Cook {Gush . . . errr I mean Review}

Jenna and Ryder are far from friends—until a storm stirs up their passion in this contemporary southern romance from New York Times bestselling author Kristi Cook.

In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, The Cafferty and Marsden families are practically royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when the families finally have a baby boy and girl at the same time, the perfect opportunity seems to have arrived.

Except Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen—oh, and also? They hate each other. Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would prefer it if stubborn-headed Jemma didn’t exist. And their communication is not exactly effective: even a casual hello turns into a yelling match.

But when a violent Mississippi storm ravages through Magnolia Branch, it unearths feelings Jemma and Ryder didn’t know they had. And the line between love and hate just might be thin enough to cross…

Thanks so much to Hannah, The Irish Banana, for giving me this book! She showed up at out YADC dinner, and whipped this book out and said, "THIS IS SO GOOD, YOU MUST READ IT!" So I did. And it was.

At a Glance:

Magnolia by Kristi Cook is a sweet, romantic story set in a modern-day Southern town, filled with a little seriousness and a whole lot of fun. When two families try to push their teens into happily ever after, all they want to do is push back, even if they really are MFEO! If you're looking for a quick pick-me-up, with romance, tension and an excellent amount of kissing, this is it!

Quick-Thoughts:

Guys, I'm sure you've been seeing this book around on the internets here recently, so I won't bore you with all the swoony details, but I seriously loved this book! It was just full of tension and romance and happy!! There are moments of frustration (Jemma! Why you make things so difficult?), moments of more frustration (You two spent all that time locked up in a cellar . . . alone . . . all squished up, and couldn't come up with something more interesting to do??) and moments of complete frustration (JUST KISS ALREADY!!!). But I loved it!! I love tension in relationships. And one of the best things about this one was that Ryder is a seriously good guy. Such a southern gentleman!! And Jemma was an awesome girl. I loved how much she worried for her sister (her family was pretty awesome) and I loved that she was a pretty tough chick who knew how to take care of business. I kind of wish I was a little more like her. She made me want to live in the south and learn how to shoot (targets . . . well, and maybe snakes). The hurricane, and the family problems that they were dealing with, added a lot of depth to this story, making it more than just a simple romance, but it was the romance that I loved so much.

I'm infinitely happy this book was shoved in my face, so now here . . . I'm shoving it in yours!

P.S. After I read it, I immediately gave it to Kit (daughter), and she adored it also!

YAYAYAYAYAY I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU LOVED THIS ONE!! I seriously enjoyed it - and I personally don't really like most contemporary novels that I read! THIS ONE THOUGH!! I definitely agree about the "just-kiss-already" part - it took them foreverrrrrrrrrr, but totally worth it :D